De-squeaking bi-fold door


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Old 02-25-09, 02:55 PM
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De-squeaking bi-fold door

Help. There is a squeak in the opening/closing of a new mirror bi-fold door (just 2 sections). There is no track on the floor, just a pivot on the floor and metal track on the top of the frame. Inside the track is a plastic cylinder (vertical axis) that appears to roll as it hits the edges of the track. How do I stop the squeaking? The edges of the track are smooth to the touch. Do I grease something or what? If so, what parts do I grease and what type of grease? Thanks.
 
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Old 02-25-09, 03:52 PM
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No grease...will only collect dust and junk. It's probably from the parts being new. It would be best to put up with it for a while and see if it gets better.

Can you tell where the squeak is? I'd bet on hinges. Hold a paper towel tube to your ear and see if you can ID it. If its hinges, you could maybe polish the pins with 220 emory cloth.

If you really can't stand it, a bit of spray silicone (be careful, keep a rag up to catch overspray) will take care of it, but it may return if you don't let the parts wear in.
 
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Old 02-26-09, 10:16 AM
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Thanks, Gunguy. Your guess is right. The noise comes from the hinges. But, the hinge pins have their ends mashed so they cannot be taken out to polish therefore will just have to wait for it to wear in and then silicone. Also: There are strip-type pressure springs that rub against the hinges to keep the door from opening or closing on its own which may be the root of the problem if they are too tight so I might try bending them a tiny bit looser but am hesitant to do so because I can't reverse the loosening if I go too far. Perhaps I can silicone them with a cue tip as a test.
 
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Old 02-26-09, 10:20 AM
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Not familiar with the springs you mention...but haven't done many mirror bifolds...mostly sliders. I'm sure makers do things differently.

The silicone on a Q-tip sounds like a good idea.
 
 

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